How To Bleed A Radiator

How To Bleed A Radiator

Bleeding radiators isn’t nearly as gruesome as it sounds. It involves letting out the air that has become trapped inside, which can vastly improve the performance of your radiator. Trapped air causes cold spots to emerge, which can have serious effects on the efficiency of your overall heating system.

Fortunately, bleeding your radiator is surprisingly easy to do, and although you may feel more comfortable letting a professional do it for you, it isn’t always necessary. Here are some simple steps that you can follow to help you bleed you radiator and create a warmer home almost instantly:

Step 1 – Turn your heating on

Turn your heat on and wait until each radiator in your home is fully heated up before moving onto step 2. You need the pressure to build up inside each radiator before you can get started, as this will ensure that the air can be forced out.

Step 2 – Identify which radiators need bleeding

Once your radiators are hot, check each one individually to see if every single part of the radiator is heating up. Pay special attention to the top of the radiator, as these if these areas are cold then it may mean that you need to have bleed the radiator.

Step 3 – Turn off your heating

This is an important step that is often overlooked, but if you fail to turn your heating off then you’ll either end up injuring yourself or you’ll get water all over the floor. So be sure to turn the heating off!

Step 4 – Bleed the radiators

You’ll need a radiator key for this step, or if you don’t have one handy then a flat-blade screwdriver will do the job. At one end of the radiator along the top, there’ll be a valve. Using your radiator key or screwdriver, carefully turn the valve. Be sure to have a cloth ready to catch any drips from the radiator. If trapped air is escaping then you’ll hear a hissing sound.

Step 5 – Shut the valve

Once the hissing stops, water will come out and the valve will need to be closed. The water is likely to emerge as a jet, so the valve needs to be closed quickly to ensure minimal spillage.

Step 6 – Check the pressure

Next, check the pressure by taking a look at the gauge on your boiler. If the pressure is too low, then you’ll need to ‘top up’, which you can do using the lever or tap on your boiler.

Step 7 – Test your radiators

Finally, check your radiators to see if your efforts have been successful. Simply turn your heating on, and wait to see if there are any cold spots emerging.

Bleeding radiators isn’t complicated, but many homeowners are afraid to try it themselves. Hopefully this guide gives you the confidence to try it yourself next time your house seems a bit cold!